Ready to Buy MacPro - Which Configuration?

[kenrobin]

I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on a MacPro that I will use primarily to edit and burn movies from footage taken with a Sony high def camcorder.

The ability to add several hard drives down the road is very attractive for video archiving purporse (I'm making movies of my 18-month old daughter).

I'm fairly certain I won't use this machine to play games and I don't do much with pictures beyond Photoshop Elements although I am considering Aperture.

I might graduate to Final Cut Express but so far I've been very happy with the output from iMovie.

I'm not afraid to do upgrades myself so I don't need the system to be loaded out of the box.

What configuration should I start with?

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[kgarchar]

if you're really looking to save, the 2.0 refurb looks like it'd be pretty sweet, especially for what you'd be doing

 

[fivetoadsloth]

For what you are doing a refurb 2 ghz seems fine as metioned above^

If you dont like the idea of a refurbished id recommend a quad 2 ghz with 2 gig of ram. For aperture and final cut the graphics card it shops with would be fine however if you have money to spend upgrading that never hurts. If you plan on burning thses movies id recommend the dual optical drives. Good luck with the macpro.

 

[twoodcc]

well it really depends on how much you are willing to spend

 

[mrgreen4242]

if you're really looking to save, the 2.0 refurb looks like it'd be pretty sweet, especially for what you'd be doing

I'm still pondering my next move (I'm the guy who comes up with a spreadsheet of every option, with cost, and a section for various different budgets, including what else I could do with money - pay bills, etc - before I buy a new machine) and the MacPro was on the out early, but now that they've made the refurb store I'm back to *thinking* about one.

So, since there's none in the refurb store atm I'm hoping someone remembers how much they were? The 2.66 is "only $2200" which isn't too bad... I can score a completely min spec MacPro for $2000 w/ EDU pricing, which puts it a bit out of range, but I like to consider all my options.

 

[IlluminatedSage]

well, i think your buying the right model for your use.

If the need for machine isnt pressing, you may want to wait through Thanksgiving. Apple should be doing a refresh on the Mac Pro.

Intel is coming out with quad core xeon cpu chips.
This means Apple will be adding a new model, or refreshing the entire line.

I don't know if you would need to go for the top of the line, but I certainly hope that this means apple will adjust their line and pricing.

which could be good for you and me. i am looking to buy one soon also.

 

[IlluminatedSage]

oh yeah, i forgot to mention that it would be a great idea to upgrade the video card to the x1900 model.

get at least 2 gb of ram also.

 

[kenrobin]

well it really depends on how much you are willing to spend

I don't want to go much over $4000 including tax.

 

[kenrobin]

oh yeah, i forgot to mention that it would be a great idea to upgrade the video card to the x1900 model.

get at least 2 gb of ram also.

Yeah.... I'm going to buy additional ram from either Crucial or OWC who I've never dealt with.

I keep going back & forth on the video card. The reviews of the stock nVidia card have not been flattering but is the ATI x1900 overkill for video editing?

 

[THX1139]

You don't need a Macpro. For straight video editing with no major compositing, an iMac is enough power for you. The MacPro is a professional machine and is way over-kill for most users. It's when you get into major rendering with $$ time constraints that the MacPro makes it worth the investment. For hobbist's and serious geeks, the iMac has plenty of power. The money you save will allow you to buy additional storage and ram.

 

[fivetoadsloth]

Yeah.... I'm going to buy additional ram from either Crucial or OWC who I've never dealt with.

I keep going back & forth on the video card. The reviews of the stock nVidia card have not been flattering but is the ATI x1900 overkill for video editing?

At this point it might be but it is defiantly more future proof. It costs $250 more dollars and i think that it is definatly worth it.

 

[minnesotamacman]

From your vantage point, I sit. I am doing basic video editing, and wanted to get the max I could afford. I used the 24" iMac, and then upgraded to the Mac Pro, and have never regetted it. I then went with three additional Seagate 320GB drives to give me over a TB of hard drive space. The machine runs smoothly, and I have never had one remote problem with it. I hope to upgrade the RAM soon, and get even more speed I don't need!

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

Yeah.... I'm going to buy additional ram from either Crucial or OWC who I've never dealt with.

I keep going back & forth on the video card. The reviews of the stock nVidia card have not been flattering but is the ATI x1900 overkill for video editing?

I'd say go for the 2.66Ghz model, its 13.6% more expensive than the 2.0Ghz model 33% extra performance. While the 3.0Ghz model is 32% more expensive than the 2.66Ghz model for 12.8% extra performance. The 2.66Ghz model is definitely the most bang for buck.

The x1900 is overkill for video editing. You'd only really want it for some Pro apps, i.e. Motion, or gaming. If you don't plan on doing either then save the money and/or put it towards extra RAM.

 

[kenrobin]

I'd say go for the 2.66Ghz model, its 13.6% more expensive than the 2.0Ghz model 33% extra performance. While the 3.0Ghz model is 32% more expensive than the 2.66Ghz model for 12.8% extra performance. The 2.66Ghz model is definitely the most bang for buck.

The x1900 is overkill for video editing. You'd only really want it for some Pro apps, i.e. Motion, or gaming. If you don't plan on doing either then save the money and/or put it towards extra RAM.

I tend to agree with you. I've never been one to buy the low-end model of anything and the 2.66GHz seems to be the model with the most bang for the buck. I'm still flip-flopping on the graphics card as good points have been made on both sides of the equation. I'm convinced that I probably don't need the ATI but I don't want to wonder what if when I get the system home.

Decisions, decisions.....

 

[SMM]

I am generally agreeing with what others have said, with a few twists.

The 2.66 upgrade is definitely a no brainer unless a person is flat-out budget constrained. And everyone is correct, you do need 2 GB. I recently purchased and additional 1 GB (2 x 512) for $237 delivered (2nd day).

The X1900 is a personal/budget choice. I am doing more work with Motion and Quake. So, I bought it. I am also going to pick-up Lightwave this Spring, so I was an easy choice for me. You can always upgrade this later when the next generation cards are out and the cost comes down.

You did not talk about monitors, or I missed it. If you can find anyway to get the Apple 30", do it. There is nothing like driving this machine with that monitor. It is just incredible. This is what you look at and what makes it all come to life (so to speak). I also ordered Airport and Bluetooth. I do not know what kind of network you have, but the price for both of these is relatively dirt cheap.

 

[kenrobin]

You did not talk about monitors, or I missed it. If you can find anyway to get the Apple 30", do it. There is nothing like driving this machine with that monitor. It is just incredible. This is what you look at and what makes it all come to life (so to speak). I also ordered Airport and Bluetooth. I do not know what kind of network you have, but the price for both of these is relatively dirt cheap.

I'm leaning towards the 23" monitor mainly due to desk space constraints. I might be a able to squeze the 30" in under my cabinets. The specs on Apple's site say height for the 30" is 21.3". Does that include the stand? I'd be interested in someone's "real life" measurement.

If I decide to order through Apple's site, I will add the Bluetooth option. I'd run this machine on ethernet even though I also have Airport in my house.

 

[twoodcc]

You don't need a Macpro. For straight video editing with no major compositing, an iMac is enough power for you. The MacPro is a professional machine and is way over-kill for most users. It's when you get into major rendering with $$ time constraints that the MacPro makes it worth the investment. For hobbist's and serious geeks, the iMac has plenty of power. The money you save will allow you to buy additional storage and ram.

i disagree here. for video editing you need lots of storage, and unless you want to wait days for rendering, you need CPU speed as well. coming from someone with an imac, and has now bought a mac pro, trust me.

 

[kenrobin]

for video editing you need lots of storage, and unless you want to wait days for rendering, you need CPU speed as well. coming from someone with an imac, and has now bought a mac pro, trust me.

I agree with you. The storage capabilities of the Mac Pro was the first thing that grabbed my attention. I've been making hidef movies and they require a great deal of storage space. I'm not considering the iMac because I don't think it will provide satisfactory power over the long run.

 

[kenrobin]

Thanks for the Advice.... I Just Placed the Order for the Mac Pro!

Thanks again to all who gave advice. I went back and forth about which graphics card to buy. I really didn't want to place a custom order because I would have preferred to drive to my local Apple retail store (which opened a few months ago), pay, and bring everything home. In the end, I couldn't take a chance at being disappointed with the stock nVidia card so I opted for the ATI x1900 (and the wait for the machine to be built and shipped..... arrrrgggg!)

Here's what I ordered:

Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
1GB (2 x 512MB)
250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (2 x dual-link DVI)
One 16x SuperDrive
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse

Apple Cinema HD Display 23"
AppleCare Protection

Price with Corporate discount was just a hair under $4,000. Fortunately, I also had $200 in Apple gift cards.

Once I get this puppy, I'm going to order an additional 750GB Seagate Barracuda hard drive and a 2GB (2 x 1GB) kit to increase my total to 3GB.

I can't wait to set it up!

 

[Dark]

Thanks again to all who gave advice. I went back and forth about which graphics card to buy. I really didn't want to place a custom order because I would have preferred to drive to my local Apple retail store (which opened a few months ago), pay, and bring everything home. In the end, I couldn't take a chance at being disappointed with the stock nVidia card so I opted for the ATI x1900 (and the wait for the machine to be built and shipped..... arrrrgggg!)

Here's what I ordered:

Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
1GB (2 x 512MB)
250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (2 x dual-link DVI)
One 16x SuperDrive
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse

Apple Cinema HD Display 23"
AppleCare Protection

Price with Corporate discount was just a hair under $4,000. Fortunately, I also had $200 in Apple gift cards.

Once I get this puppy, I'm going to order an additional 750GB Seagate Barracuda hard drive and a 2GB (2 x 1GB) kit to increase my total to 3GB.

I can't wait to set it up!

Lucky Man. Thats my dream setup right there. Congratz, enjoy it. Post some pics up when you get it.